Advances in computer technology (e.g., microprocessor speed, memory capacity, data transfer bandwidth, software functionality, and the like) have generally contributed to increased computer application in various industries. Ever more powerful server systems, which are often configured as an array of servers, are commonly provided to service requests originating from external sources such as the World Wide Web, for example.
As the amount of available electronic data grows, it becomes more important to store such data in a manageable manner that facilitates user friendly and quick data searches and retrieval. Today, a common approach is to store electronic data in one or more databases. A typical database can be referred to as an organized collection of information with data structured such that a computer program can quickly search and select desired pieces of data, for example.
Moreover, in such environments a federation refers to a group of organizations or service providers that have built trust among each other and enable sharing of user identity information amongst themselves. For example, federated identity is a distributed computing construct that recognizes that individuals move between corporate boundaries at an increasingly frequent rate. Practical applications of federated identities are represented by large multinational companies that are required to manage several heterogeneous systems at the same time.
In general, problems can frequently arise when a first node (e.g., a super seed node) that originates the federation or ring can inadvertently create multiple rings when in fact a single ring was originally desired. Moreover, further complexities can arise in split-brain situations, wherein two rings exist at the same time without knowing each other. Such can further create difficulties when an underlying communication channel is not deemed reliable, and can contribute to partitions in the network, for example. In addition, conventional systems employ a manual process that typically requires an administrator to initially ensure there is no existing node, and then explicitly instruct a seed node to act as the super seed node.